march-ing to the beat of the monotonous drum

Yes. If it still isn't obvious. I will try to come up with the corniest post titles for my monthly recaps. I have a few titles in mind for the coming months but I figure september, november and december will pose a bit of a conundrum :) On to my good friend March.

March! What HASN'T happened in March? Well, quite a bit of things but it is my most favouritest month of the year. Partially because this was the month in which I was born. A lot of notable persons were born in March. Namely Albert Einstein who was born on 14th March. A lot of musicians are born in March. Chester Bennington and Joe Hahn from Linkin Park, Stephen Gately and Ronan Keating from the boyband Boyzone (yes, I was a huge groupie back in the day). Eva Longoria is a March baby. And if I recall correctly Lord Byron was also a member of the March family as well. The amount of talented people who have made their mark on the world that are born in March is astounding! And it's especially better if they are Pisceans to boot.

March also is the start of the Formula 1 racing season, usually on the last weekend of the month. That's when the cars, and my heart, start revving. Thus begins my weekend hermit personality. I simply loathe having to be out and away from the sports channels on a weekend and most times I am successful at avoiding having to step out during this time. I mean, like I mentioned before, how else is Kimi supposed to get the extra push to drive better and faster if I'm not in front of my tv urging him on during the LIVE telecast. It's anti-climatic and completely useless to be doing it AFTER the live showing or during a repeat/delayed telecast cos by then there is no changing the outcome of the race. If you get to yell during the race and something good comes out of it, makes you feel as if the shouting played a part, hence making YOU feel good to have made a contribution :D

March 15th is also the date signalling the start of the Spring Equinox. After the long, dreary winter season, the first flushes of Spring begins in March, signifying the birth/rebirth of new life. How wonderful that most living forms come awake during this time of the year. It gives a sense of newness and hope (ok, perhaps I'm stretching a little bit).

On a more personal front, it was in March that I made my first solo travel arrangements. What I mean is that although I have been on planes all by my lonesome multiple times, I have always been picked up at/left the airport in the company of people I am familiar with. This time, I had to make my own way to/from Bangkok city and considering my past experiences with taxis in Bangkok, I felt a bit on the apprehensive side. Just to comment; Thailand is a thriving Asian holiday destination, the least the tourism board can do is ensure that their taxi drivers UNDERSTAND AND SPEAK BASIC ENGLISH! For the 3 times in the past 2 years that I have gone there, everytime I step into a taxi is always a frustrating experience. English is the universal language, learn to speak it cabbies! Also, geez, drive with more regard for your passenger's life if not your own! The way they speed down the highway, it seems like their arse is lit on fire! And that's me putting it politely. But despite the tip fee debacle and taxis making sure the speedometer maximum limit works, as can be seen, I survived the experience. Maybe I'm paranoid but, a single female travelling alone is not a matter to be taken lightly. A number of unspeakable things could have occured but if precautions are taken, maybe they can be prevented. It makes me sad that this is the kind of world we live, where we have to be suspicious of anyone and everyone.

Besides that, there have been nothing really note-worthy. I shopped (clothes, books, shoes), watched my tv shows, cooked and baked, decorated, y'know, mundane stuff like that. April should be more or less the same :)

miu miu's the muse, elephantine's the shade and netbook friendly is the name of the game

Yes, I could have made the title shorter but what would be the fun in that? Anyway, it basically captures the gist of the post. So.....to carry on with the topic at hand.....

Despite my fruitless search for the LeSportsac Lexie Tech Tote in Bangkok this past weekend, I'm not at all short of a stand-in that is completely spiffy yet totally functional. The weekend before my Bangkok sojourn, I was, as usual, making my normal rounds of the mall after a Sunday lunch meeting at a pizza joint with the team and the visiting boss. Earlier in the week, I had gone round to this handbag boutique that sells high quality and semi high quality replicas of luxury handbags. I had spotted this gorgeous blue shoulder bag with a cute lock and chain accent and all round ruching front and back, supposedly a Miu Miu inspired piece. The exterior was made out of fake leather (PETA friendly) and the whole ruching effect made the bag really cushy to touch, giving off the impression of mild padding. The interior was cloth, my favourite kind, and featured a shallow back compartment with a zippered pocket, a zippered middle compartment and a spacious front compartment with 2 pockets, one for cell and another for your other bits and bobs. The interior is secured by a large zipper with a flap that goes over and completely covers it, giving no access for any sticky fingered activities that might otherwise have succeeded. On the outside back, there is a zippered pocket.

I found the bag was adorable, light, stylish, spacious and comfortable to carry but the colour did not appeal. I mean the current laptop tote substitute is already blue and getting this other blue piece would just be oxymoron-ish. I got negative answers when asking if they had the bag in diffferent shades. So I thought, okay, nevermind, I'm still cool with carrying my fake-out Dana tote a while longer although the whole size of the bag was an issue in itself (the large nature of the bag meant my stuff would get lost in the vastness of the interior, not to mention my lil netbook gets jostled around quite a bit plus the blue kinda irks me when it clashes, in my mind and despite the fact that navy blue is also a neutral shade, with the colour of the clothes I'm wearing). So on this Sunday, I go visit the handbag boutique again with my colleague who was looking for a new work tote to replace her year old but peeling bag. And whaddaya know, apparently over the last couple of days from my intial visit, the shop restocked and now the bag I had looked at came in a black as well as light gray.

I wasn't particularly in the mood for a tech tote purchase but considering those were the only 2 pieces left, I finally took the plunge and put down USD23.40 for the gray one. Yup, it was cheap which was a deciding factor in my decision to get it. The colour choice was a toughie as when it comes to handbags, black usually grabs me more due to its "fits in with everything" nature but I already own so many black bags and was hankering for any other neutral shade that would be work appropriate and match with my clothes so gray was definitely the choice that fit with this criteria.

I've been using the bag for a week now and have found that it is serving its purpose well. It's large enough that it can fit my netbook, my copy of "I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell", my work notebook, my Zen, my E61i all in the front compartment. I stuff my cords (zen, phone, computer), external hard disk and earphones in the middle zippered compartment and put my long wallet in the shallow back compartment. In the back zippered pocket, I stuff my medicine-on-the-go and other pharmacy related items (read: girl parts related items, don't want to be caught out when Aunt Flow comes to visit!). The front 2 pockets I stuff my card case, keys and pens and in the outside zippered pocket I keep my tissues and mints. The bag manages to fit all this and still look great. No bursting at the seams apperance here! The strap is a double strap that is kept together as a single strap by a handle cover. It is elastic in nature and drops to about waist length when filled with everything but bounces back up to under the arms when semi-filled (i.e: no netbook and cords but just your regular purse items). Considering the cheapness of the price, I dunno if its elasticity is a long-term thing or within the next few weeks that it will simply remain at waist length. Either way, I am not bothered about it, waist-length or armpit length, still looks great. Anyway, instead of going on and on extolling the virtues of my Miu Miu inspired shoulder bag, I'll let the pics do the talking.

The many facets of my miumiu-ish bag

As can be seen, the colour on camera looks more like baby elephant skin gray but in person it ain't that.....stark(?). I'm happy I went for the gray though, adds flavour to my bag collection. The bag's exterior is easy to clean, just wipe over with a damp cloth (don't you just love pleather) and the lightweight nature of the bag makes it easy on the muscles. The fact that the straps don't dig into the shoulders is a big plus in my book. Well, I'll be using it till it breaks, god knows when that will be. Hopefully it'll last me a long time cos I'm simply too lazy to look for the Lexie anymore. It's a lost cause at the moment and if I'm honest, I was simply asking around for the tote just to satisfy that part of me that needs proof that the bag is basically uia (unavailable in Asia). Perhaps when I'm feeling more up to it but for now I am mighty satisfied with my substitute stand-in laptop tote. Sure as hell beats your common nylon laptop cases and furthermore, it makes me look great for work AND play!

whirlwind Bangkok

I'm baaaack! My trip to Bangkok was just a 3-day sojourn, a rushed one at that. I didn't have a lot of time to do some of the things I wanted to do, like watch a movie at the Paragon Cineplex but all in all it was an ok trip. I had to do a bit of work on this trip, meeting with the travel agent to finalize the company retreat itinerary and pay the deposit. Oh yea.....in May the team and I are headed to the land of "The King and I". I was busy in the past few weeks arranging visa applications for the 8 other people in my team and finalizing all other company retreat related business on my end which was part of the reason I was quiet on the blogging front. All I can say is that this May trip should be one for the ages! It's a comprehensive trip to 4 Thai provinces, Bangkok, Kanchanaburi, Ayutthya and Pattaya involving jungle elephant rides, staying on river houses, dining at one of Bangkok's premier restaurants and sailing around on a luxury yacht in Pattaya. I can't wait for May! Am going off tangent though.

This trip was meant to be a relaxing shopping holiday but turned out to be less a vacation and more of a work thing. Firstly, my flight got into Bangkok late on Friday evening and I was then stuck in Friday night traffic from the airport to go into town for 2 hours where I was assaulted by numerous billboards advertising the blowout sales happening that weekend all over Bangkok. I found that quite amusing. When I arrived and finally met up with my party that got in earlier in the day, they had already had a head start on the shopping. We just managed to squeeze in dinner before going back to the hotel. We stayed at the Millenium Hilton in the Khlong San area. It's located by the waterfront of the Chao Phya. This is my second time staying at this hotel. I love how the hotels located all along the waterfront use junk styled boats to ferry their patrons to and from the hotel to the Saphan Thaksin BST station. It's such a novelty and makes me imagine the days of yore when the river was a bustling port. I like how the river plays a role even to this day. Anyways, I took advantage of the big bathtub to run myself a hot bath complete with complimentary Crabtree & Evelyn bath tablet from their Le Source range. It was one of the best baths I've taken in some time, I could feel my muscles unwinding. Naturally, sleep wasn't hard to come by after that.

Views of Bangkok

On Saturday, it was an early morning. I had set up a meeting with the travel agent and met up with him around 9 am. My main mode of transportation to get around the city centre and beyond was of course the Bangkok Sky Train system. I think they have one of the best inner city rail systems that I have had the privelege of using, on par with Singapore's MRT. Well it hands down certainly beats the Malaysian LRT and the NYC subway! The agent proceeded to keep me at his office for about an hour and a half before pointing me to the nearest BST station so I could join up with my party at Chid Lom. Once the group was together, we made our way to the Jatujak Weekend Market. This is definitely one of my most favourite shopping destinations when I'm here. The place is teeming with fantastic shopping gems for any shopaholic. Funnily enough, after a little more than an hour, I left only with a 100 baht white cotton tee with a floral lilac pattern and 950 baht worth of secondhand books. I was interested in quite a bit of stuff, namely clothes but having my mother along with me was quite a purse string suppressant, each time I looked at a piece I was interested in and seriously contemplating getting it, her nagging voice in my head kept chanting "Clothes! Clothes! Clothes! What do you need more clothes for?" When I told her this later, she said she wouldn't have said anything of the like and that it was my money and I could do as I wished with it but I know her better than that. She would have DEFINITELY passed comment if I had purchased 2 of the things I had had my eye on.

My Bangkok Haul

Since three of the people out of our party of five were over 60 and quite winded by the hot sun and stuffy market conditions, my sis and I sent them off back to the hotel and we proceeded to make our way back to Chid Lom's Central Plaza to get a closer look at shoes by the Brazilian brand Melissa Plastic Dreams which manufactures eco-friendly shoes. This brand is difficult to find in stores and currently are not available for purchase online so when I passed the display in the morning after coming back from my meeting with the travel agent, I was ecstatic. The brand was introduced to me by my sis so she and I were really interested to see the shoes up close and personal.

L-R: Melissa Vinyl, Vivienne Westwood Anglomania + Melissa Mary Jane

After being able to look them over, I have to say the shoes are gorgeous and extremely comfy. There were 2 designs I was interested in but one was not within my budget and the other was out of my size so I ended up walking out empty-handed. My sis, however, got the pair that I liked but couldn't afford. This pair was significantly more expensive because it was from the line collaboration with Vivienne Westwood. Sensing my disappointment, my sis suggested going round to Siam Paragon to have a look but as y luck would have it, the Paragon department store did not carry Melissa Plastic Dreams. I ended up going to Kinokuniya and getting "I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell".

After a late but quick lunch at Subway (Philly cheese steak sandwiches never tasted so good), we headed back to the hotel to take a short rest before going out for dinner with one of my aunts old comrades, Capt S, from the days she lived in Bangkok. He picked us up from the hotel and took us to his house which was close to the old Bangkok airport. It was quite far but really worth it. We had a simply delicious Thai dinner in his landscaped garden and the whole evening was just the perfect antidote to a busy-ish day. Dining al fresco underneath the stars was great. We had some tot mun plat (the spelling quite possibly is off but that's how it sounds like when pronounced) a.ka. fish cakes, prawn fritter salad, deep fried fish and of course, some authentic Thai tom yum. After that, he took us for a spin round the 24 hours flower, vegetable and fruit markets. By the time we arrived at the hotel it was midnight and all we could manage to do was flop into bed.

The next morning, my flight out was at 2.55 pm, 3 hours earlier than the rest of my family. At first I planned on heading to the airport straight from the hotel but images of the "Vivienne Westwood Anglomania + Melissa Mary Jane" kept haunting me and after convincing myself that the shoes were worth the extra bahts (also my sisters devilish encouragements), in the end I ended up dragging my 13.8kg bag onto the boat, crossed over to the train station and all the way to Chid Lom's Central Plaza. Only to discover my sister's purchase yesterday was the last pair in my size. Well, that'll teach me to hesitate. This kind of thing always happens to me. To compensate, I bought this short jacket in khaki which I think is simply adorable. From the plaza, my sis, mum and aunt (my dad had had enough and was resting in the hotel) put me in a taxi headed to the Suvarnabhumi Airport and I arrived at 11.30 am, checked in and proceeded to spend my time walking around the duty free shops and eating the delicious macadamia and green tea ice cream from "The Cream Factory".

I did ask around the LeSportsac store if they had the Lexie tote in stock but nobody seems to know what I'm talking about. I'm starting to think that the tote has not made its way to Asia, if it will at all. I did manage to get a bottle of "Boots Witch Hazel + Tea Tree Anti-Blemish Toner" which I have read about and since I am looking for cheaper alternatives to my "Kiehls Blue Astringent", I guess paying 160 baht was better than paying 25 dollars. From there I debated on the merits of getting some Burger King to go but decided I was better off taking away some KFC for dinner. I ended up spending the remainder of time watching the movie "Role Models" starring Paul Rudd which I found hilarious. Once I boarded the plane, I had Tucker Max's book at the ready. I have to say, from the little I've read of it, it is a damn funny book. I do admit that there are parts which I found truly heinous to read, like when he talks about sleeping with a fat girl on a dare from his mates as if bedding a chubby girl was one of the most horrific things a guy could do not at gun point. Honestly, so what if the person you are seeing is fat, if you like them you like them. You don't have to say only a person not in their right mind would sleep with someone who is overweight.

Anyways, silent giggling and snorts aside, the flight was relatively turbulence free except for the last 10 minutes. We landed, I cleared immigration quite fast and my colleague and driver were already on hand to help with my luggage and take me home. We stopped so I could grab some KFC and then I spent the rest of the evening unpacking and watching tv before reading a lil bit more IHTSBH and going to sleep.

Quite a summation for a 3 day trip!

welcome to my obsession

How I love it! The '09 season has begun and it is showing a lot of promise! New teams claiming top spots, accidents galore, car failures at top speeds and despite having 3 world champions on the grid, none were on the top step of the podium at the end of the race! 2009 looks to be a fantastic and captivating year for F1 racing.

Last weekend, Ferrari and Kimi Raikkonen (and by extension Felipe Massa as well) began their F1 campaign in a less than spectacular manner. Both cars failed to finish in the points with Felipe retiring on lap 51 with a steering failure and Kimi spinning on lap 48 due to as yet unknown reasons (could be driver error or a car glitch), dropping him to the tail end of the field and despite officially ranking 16th overall, he actually retired on the three laps from the end of the race. However, I was still enthralled, Kimi's driving seemed more pro-active than it was in '08. He was taking chances, overtaking and bringing the fight to other drivers. I can only hope that his results will be better in the next race in Sepang. With the race from Melbourne, Ferrari took no points both in the constructors and drivers championship which is not ideal but I foresee a bounce back this weekend in Malaysia. Well I pray there will be a bounce back, I can't stand the heartsick feeling when my team doesn't do well.

But whatever the results with Ferrari and Kimi, what this first race of the season has made me realize is how much I've missed Formula 1 racing. After the end of the '08 season, I put myself under a self-imposed F1 blackout. I was feeling a bit too disheartened by the '08 turn of events and believed I needed to gain a lot of perspective on my F1 obsession. So I stayed away from 99% of the pre-season winter testing news. I don't exactly know how I managed it but besides the odd bits of news regarding the Honda outfit becoming Brawn Racing, I did not invest any time finding out the progress/development of Ferrari and their rivals. I was relatively F1 free for 4.5 months.

That didn't mean I wasn't counting down the days till the first race. I knew I was not going to be available to watch the race on live tv which was a disappointment cos I partially believe I could have helped Kimi along a lil bit more if I had watched it live (I know this sounds wacko but a part of me truly believes that if you will it enough it'll happen!) but I did do all that I could to keep up with the on-goings this race weekend.

Upon arriving to my apartment late yesterday evening, the first thing I did was switch on my laptop to find out who had won the race. I had tried to find out at the airport while waiting for my flight but the free wifi service was completely crap and I wasn't able to google news despite there being connectivity. When I found out that Jenson Button had won, I felt quite ok. As long as its not Fernando Alonso or Lewis Hamilton or Felipe Massa, I don't mind so much. Then my next step was to check Kimi's position. After finding out he didn't chart in the points, I checked Felipe's stats and next Alonso and Lewis. By this time I guess I've established who I believe is Kimi's main rivals, the rest are just to round up the numbers. My next move was to check the ESPN listing, I know there was a repeat but wasn't sure what time it was and after getting the info I needed, I settled down enough to unpack and have dinner.

At about 7 pm, I switched channels and the pre-race show was on. I don't know how else to describe how I felt when I caught my first glimpse of all the new designs for this season. I got sooooo excited to hear the roar of the engines that I literally started clapping my hands in glee. That high whine of an F1 engine is one of the most exciting sounds that one could hear in a lifetime. For me anyways. I don't know about any other F1 fans but I love that feeling of queasy excitement when the cars are doing their formation lap before getting into position on the grid. I love the rapid increase of my heartbeat and the sick feeling in my stomach that occurs as the five lights illuminate counting down to the start of the race and when they go off and the cars start moving, I feel nauseous and like my heart is going to burst, it's a bit painful even. I know it seems like its more torturous than exciting, which sometimes I think it is but the sheer pleasure of watching those high-powered machines get off the starting line overrules all the unpleasantness my body goes through in those first moments. I am always tense during those first few seconds after the start and that's when I do most of my encouragement-filled rallying (read: yelling at Kimi to move that Ferrari faster and get ahead of the pack). How I feel after those first few seconds could go either way. If Kimi does well then of course I'm super elated but if otherwise, I will feel crushing disappointment for about 2 seconds before I pick up the rallying again with more loud encouragements to just throw caution to the wind and overtake the damn car in front of you that's bogging you down.

And that's EXACTLY how it went down while I was watching the rerun last night. I had already known the outcome of the race and more than knew what was going to happen but it didn't stop me from yelling and encouraging my driver to be the best. I think some small bit of me believes (crazily enough) if I just shout a bit more and get all excited, the results will magically change in my/Kimi's favour. I know I sound semi-insane about the whole thing. But something about F1 just makes me happy. I love the tactics, the driver skills involved, the whole competitive atmosphere. And despite Kimi being my favourite driver, I do give other drivers credit when its due. I do support other drivers in a race and give them props when they have done brilliantly. I did feel sorry for Felipe Massa last year when he lost out to Lewis Hamilton for the drivers championship but on the other hand I also personally believe that Lewis deserved it last year. I don't like Lewis cos I think he's too full of himself and I can't stand Alonso cos he's pompous as well but they would not be world champions if they weren't great drivers. And I can admit here that I think Kimi's lost his edge a bit after winning the championship in '07 and his confidence probably took quite a bit of knocking when he was extremely unsuccessful in defending his status as F1 champ last year (he finished third overall) but it doesn't mean I don't believe in him and his prowess as a fantastic driver. Watching Kimi when he hits his stride is magical. When he gets in the zone HE IS AMAZING. I don't know if he became complacent after winning the championship (which he thoroughly deserved) and his hunger for being a head above the competition was more than slightly diminished or whatever but I still would bet on him to win every single race if I was a betting person. Simply because I believe in him to deliver.

My confidence in Kimi as a superb driver was not diminished by the events that transpired last year and it still isn't. And considering he still finished third in a field of 22, just goes to show, expectations of him and his abilities run high and people generally want more out of him. He still was the fastest man on the grid, posting the highest number of fastest laps in the 2008 season and retaining the DHL Fastest Man On Track title (or something like that) for the second year running. I just personally feel that I should keep myself more in check in regards to my support of him. I have an emotional investment in Kimi's development and progress as a driver. When you have followed the career of someone for the same amount of time he's been in the sport, it should be understandable why I react so strongly to his highs and lows. But I also realize that I have got to get a grip. I want him to do well and win more championships, beating records set by drivers before him because I know he's capable, but at the same time I realize I need to be less emotional about it. I do have a funny fear that all the stress I endure watching him drive might eventually result in heart problems for me in the future :P I've had my mum tell me on numerous occasions to stop being so involved as I'm not getting paid to support him and the yelling should be kept to a minimum as he can't hear me in the first place. I do agree with her. I may not have said so at the time she was telling me this, instead retorting that I know my yelling is urging him on to do better and she just gave me a look :) Hence the F1 blackout these past few months. And after spending the blackout period contemplating more zen and less stress, I am coming into this season with a better apporach. I am still super supportive of my driver but if he does not do well, I'm not going to be taking it quite as personally as I did before. Hey, I'm not the one at risk of losing my millions of dollars drive if I don't perform, Kimi knows well enough what he has to do, he doesn't need me to yell at my television to get him to do it. I just do it cos I like it :D

that lil thing called lazy

Yea. I'm at it again, the lazy has taken me over. I don't look to blogging as a chore, it's actually a method of self-expression and a way to record all my thoughts/memories/experiences. That's why I don't blog for the masses, merely for the audience of one. Moi. Writing has always been a cathartic release for me. I wrote all the time when I was younger, mainly short stories. Some were published in school newspapers/college magazines and some others were for my eyes only.

This blog is mainly for my eyes only. I guess some people could say that if I don't write for other people to read, what's the point of it being public? The reason is simply because I just don't care. I blog for me, myself and I. If it so happens somebody stumbles upon this blog and decides to read it, she/he is welcome to. But I digress.

Like the title suggest. I have been lazy. It's not that my thoughts were completely switched off for the past 2 weeks or so but instead it was the opposite. There were just too many things going on that I could not catch up with them fast enough to blog about them. And when that happened, I just thought to hell with it, I'll start up again when things have calmed down.

And so things have. There are a few things that I wanna type up but I thought I'd do a transient post to give myself a kick in the @$$, something to get me back into the swing. However there is a possibility of this transit write-up being a long transit cos I am headed to Bangkok tomorrow and am debating whether my gorgeous, revamped HP 2133 is coming along with me or not. If the decision falls in the not category it thus would definitely limit any and all lingering effects of this kick-in-the-rear-end post. Perhaps if I am not feeling too lazy, there'll be another one that follows this. The thoughts are there, I just need to get my fingers to type them. But if not, then, I bid adieu to you my beautiful blog and sawadee to the land of smiles!

if i could say thank you in a thousand languages

But I only know a few and am iffy on the spelling so instead of butchering someone else's language, I will just stick to good ol' English.

A big, ginormous, grateful THANK YOU to all the beautiful and wonderful people in my life who have been calling/texting/facebooking me non-stop to wish moi a happy birthday! I know for some the long-distance call was costly but it made me extremely happy to hear from you!

Some prezzies received from the beautiful and awesome people I know

I also want to say that ALL the important persons in my life (you know who you are!), remembered and I am so touched and feel so blessed. I may not show it all the time but I do love all of you with all of my heart and miss you guys more often than I say.

So, just, THANK YOU ALL, for being who you are and blessing my life with your presence!

reminiscing great cuppies in NYC

I was doing my grocery shopping yesterday, all ready to try out one of the yogurt chicken recipes and maybe attempt a seafood risotto. At the till, I looked in my basket and saw completely different food items, most non-related to any risotto or chicken recipe.

Now, if this was actually a post about my accidentally taking someone else's basket, that would be a bit funny. But, no, I did start shopping with chicken and risotto in mind, it's just the mart I was in was in dire need of restocking. There was no plain yogurt and no arborio rice, two of the things I needed to make a semblance of the recipes I had.

So, instead of wasting the trip, I ended up getting some baking mixes. I've used both Betty Crocker and Duncan Hines mixes before but I definitely prefer Betty Crocker cos it's mess-free and the taste is still great. I don't exactly have any baking equipment save for an oven so fuss free mixes are the only way to go if I want to go the DIY route. I got myself the fudge brownie and the banana walnut mix. I usually use the banana walnut to make pancakes which always turn out delicious. This is actually my first time trying out the brownie mix. So instead of baking it in a cake pan, I used muffin cups instead. Just to see if I'm successful. My first batch is in the oven right now. While waiting, I was reminiscing on the most delicious cupcakes and red velvet cake that I've had the good fortune to try out.

It was late summer. The location was New York. My sisters and I were vacationing there and we met up with one of my eldest sis's friend, D. Since he's a native New Yorker, we were asking him to take us to Magnolia Bakery, so we could see what all the fuss was about. Anyone who watches Sex & The City knows that this is supposed to be THE premier cupcake palace. But D dismissed us as the uncouth and instead took us on a really long walk to what can only be described as the most gorgeous lil cupcake boutique I've ever seen, Billy's Bakery.

The first image of the shop that has stuck with me was the clothesline with baby rompers printed with "Billy's Bakery" hanging in the window display. I was thinking why would D bring us to a children's clothing store. Then he opened the door. The moment you step through the entrance, my goodness, you're just inundated by so many heavenly sinful smells and the colours are simply eye-popping. I can't remember much else of the decor nor any of the prices in fact, it was more a point and pay experience. We got four deliciously gorgeous cuppies and a slice of red velvet cake with buttercream frosting.

Back at our hotel, we were staying at the Hilton Millenium which is right in front of Ground Zero, we divvied up the cuppies and well, I thought that if this was the last thing I could ever taste again in this world, I would not regret it. Then we cut into the slice of red velvet. OMG! Just thinking about it now is making me drool. I don't have any better adjectives than heavenly to describe the exquisite tastes so I'll just let the pics we took speak for them.


After the trip ended, we made many attempts to recreate the "Billy's Bakery" Red Velvet experience but there was always something missing. They were good tries but when you've had the best, how can you ever go back? Even Katie Holmes agrees :) I was rearranging my shelves and decided to have another look through the January '08 issue of InStyle when I saw this bit on the cupcakes from "Billy's Bakery".


Apparently she's a big fan as well. We did manage to get a taste of "Magnolia Bakery" cuppies which are a treat you get to enjoy on the SATC tour. Although tasty, D was right, in a fight, "Billy's Bakery" cuppies would certainly come out the winner!

lunchtime madness

I really should STOP wandering round the shops during lunchtime! That's when I get into the most trouble :(

As per usual, I am doing a walkabout and I spot this dress hanging in one of the shops. I had just come off the escalator coming from the rooftop foodcourt and from 20 metres away, my eye caught its first glimpse of this gorgeous emerald green long sleeved dress with a funky peacock inspired pattern in cream and orange. The overall look is simply feminine. All this happened in a mere 4 seconds. But as it was at the opposite end of the escalator, I didn't head straight for it. I have a system when I'm window shopping.....start on the side you came up/down from and work your way around. So I'm making my way slowly around, just pacing myself. I finally reach the general area of the dress 5 minutes later *GRINS* Yea that is what I call pacing myself. I casually stroll to the store entrance and look up to where the dress is hanging.....for a good 2 minutes.....before I walk away. I like to do a price check walk-by before I commit to anything.

I walk over to the shop across and as I'm skimming the sales rack, my head is busy having a fight between want and need. The reason is cause the dress I was coveting was on sale for 11 DOLLARS! Then as this debate rages on in my head, my hand touches upon something and my eyes move down to look at the piece I stopped on. DAMN, DAMN AND DOUBLE DAMN! I just put my hands on this gorgeous geometric sequinned v-neck long top, something that I've been looking for and its going for 10 DOLLARS. WTH?!?! Are you kidding me?? Geez!

I leave that shop, only to saunter over to a different store where they have an everything for 7 dollars rack outside. I browse through the rack while the inner turmoil continues. I spot a great looking array of long sleeve solid colour knee length dresses with black trim. Now I'm truly conflicted!


Let's just say, lust won out over rational thinking and I went back to the office with a shopping bag in hand, and a tin of button mushrooms and kettle chips in honey dijon. I passed on the 7 dollar dresses but I can't seem to stop thinking about them so I might go have another look at them today. *SIGH* I just wish I had more self-control but those pretty dresses, they sing their siren songs and I'm being lured back.


I dunno if they'll still be there cos when I left, there were a group of girls crowding the rack, if I'm lucky, perhaps the dresses will be all gone and thus, temptation is removed!

UPDATE:
Well, I went to look at the 7 dollar chiffon dresses and there was only one left in pink. Yesterday when I was browsing there were 4 pieces in black, gray, purple and the pink. I would have gotten the pink, it's a nice soft pink shade with black satin trim and would have looked great with some black leggings but the ribbon belt was missing so I passed on it. I did get myself a book. I know I said I wouldn't get anymore books but I figured this was a worthwhile buy. There's a used books fair in the concourse area of the mall and having a look around I found a Paris guide book published in 2005 for 4 bucks.


Although 4 years old, I would say most of the information in my copy of "Fodor's 05 Paris" is still relevant. It also had the added benefit of the former owner's notes which is cool. I've been reading it and now am even more excited about the trip than before. I mentioned before that I'm thinking out my attire for the trip. I've been planning and re-planning my wardrobe in my head. I'm probably going to get even worse after I read the section on etiquette and behavior. It mentioned that part of the French habit is to people watch where they'll scrutinize your clothes from head to toe. I'm not going to give them the satisfaction of finding something to mock about me so I'm going to have study Parisian fashion more arduously, read more magazines and blogs for the latest trends for fall '09. What a chore :D

this just affirms it

I KNEW MY FEAR OF THEM WAS JUSTIFIED AND COMPLETELY RATIONAL!!!!! "Monster Crocodile" Bites Girl's Head Off! SEE! They are abominable creatures. And it's an unprovoked attack. And seriously, how sick that it ate/bit off just the head and left the rest of the body intact, so to speak. UUGGHHH! I'm just so disgusted and sorry for the poor lil girl.

But really, all this is simply another turn of fate and act of God, whatever the motivations might be! I guess if you believe in any religion, or any higher being for that matter, these are the kind of things that you wonder why it happens but have to understand that it is just part of a bigger picture. It's gruesome and horrible but so are many other things in life and not everything can be rosy. I guess in some ways I believe there needs to be a bad to all the good, the yin yang concept. It's just sad.....

of early mornings and beauty treatments

I managed to fall asleep at a reasonable 10:30 last night, mostly due to the 2 hours worth of sleep I got the day before but I still ended up waking at 4:30 again. So, I thought I'd just get on with my day like I did yesterday. Brushed my teeth, washed my face, had coffee and leftover banana fritters I ate at teatime for brekkie. Then I was stumped, was a lil too early for a shower. I was looking for something to do to while away about 2 hours so I thought why not do a facial!

I had half a clay mask packet that I was waiting to use during the weekend as a birthday prep treat but thought might as well get a head start on the face pampering, haven't been doing my body any favours with the crazy sleeping schedule. And there I was, slathering on blue self-heating goo on my face at 5 am. I wonder if there is an optimal time for facials? I dunno if it was the bleariness but after 45 minutes and a rinse in the sink, I felt my skin was feeling and looking mighty good! Better than when I usually use the mask, which is on Saturday afternoons, if I remember to do so that is.

Since it was still quite a bit of time till I wanted to prepare for work, I got out my pore strips and slapped one on my nose. I like to leave them longer than the recommended 15 minutes, at least twice as long. Some silly belief that the strip gets a better grip on those pesky grease blocks clogging the nose area. After a satisfactory passage of time, I pull off the strip and take it over closer to my lamp, I like to see what kind of gunk has been clogging my nasal pores. People can say it's disgusting but I'm sure more than half of the people who use these pore strips do the EXACT SAME THING! I am pleased with the job done by the strip and throw it in the wastebasket (now, if I had kept it aside for god knows what reasons, THAT would be disgusting and just plain weird...*shudders* GROSS!).

It's still 30 minutes till 6:40, which is when I usually get up for work so I continue googling and reading other people's blogs to fill in the time. That's when I saw this review on someone's blog about this charcoal and kaolin clay facial bar soap from Japan. I read her experience with the soap (tightened pores, stubborn zits be gone, immediate smoother complexion effect right after washing) and it convinced me to give this soap a look. I'll have to google around and read up on some more stuff on this thing before I get it. It's USD10 and I don't know the size. Before I plonk down 10 bucks, I'd like to know what my money's getting me in this economy, as do many other people. Well, I do that regardless what the state of the world's finances are. Pelican Deitanseki Clay & Charcoal Facial Cleansing Bar is what it's called.


Sounds so samurai-ish. I'm always attracted to black facial stuff, it seems intriguing to me, better than all the white/off-white products out there. I seem to like those glycerin soaps with bits of stuff (petals and such) inside as well. I think they're awesome. As you can read, doesn't take much to impress me. Anyways, if I do get the totally cool black soap, I can assure I'll be doing a post about it soon after :)

Oh well, off to work now, toodles!

when the fuel is low

I am running on almost empty today.....I can't wait for this day to be over. I have no idea why but for the past 2 nights I have had trouble sleeping, in a major way (which means more so than usual). I don't know if it's just a body clock phase or there's some unconscious issue I'm stressing about that is causing this really disruptive sleep deprivation. For instance, my birthday weekend is coming up, could it be I am unknowingly worried of turning a year older? I feel fine when I think about it but who knows, sometimes the mind and the heart does not see eye to eye.

Today I am functioning on two and a half hours sleep and I've been up since 4:30 am. I attempted to go to bed at 10:30 last night but you know when your body is tired but your mind just refuses to switch off? I'm lying in bed, the lights are switched off and I'm feeling mellow and suddenly I start thinking about risotto. How to make risotto, what kind of rice do you use, can you cook it in a rice cooker, is there a non-alcoholic substitute for the wine and on and on and on. I know where these risotto thoughts originated from - my viewings of "Hell's Kitchen" but HELL *smiles (too knackered to offer a cheeky grin)*, I could really do without the incessant assault on my poor beleagured mind. I actually got up and googled it, I spent the next half hour looking up risotto recipes! My research answered ALL the nagging questions I had.....I'll be trying those recipes out soon-ish but the point is all the googling got my brain awake and now I am so far from dozing off.

All risotto related queries satisfied, I settle on my bed to finish the last few pages of David Sedaris's "When You Are Engulfed In Flames" (tres amusing btw). I giggle through the final two pages and once the book is closed, switch off my lights and lay down. It's 11.50 pm now. I'm 10 minutes away from midnight and already 2 hours short of the necessary 8 hours of sleep (I rarely fulfill the daily recommended dosage but I do try). Of course, when you are haranguing yourself to go to sleep like that, who can actually sleep? So now I'm trying to stop myself from worrying about the dwindling sleep hours and how my cortisol hormones are not lowering which could possibly lead to a zit in the morning.

I successfully divert my mind by thinking about what I'm feeling for breakfast, cereal or smores pop tart. My sugar craving wins, it's decided, smores pop tart it is. Somehow, all roads lead to food and after jumping the gun (in this case lunch), I am planning out my dinner. And here we go again, I start thinking of the boneless chicken breast meat in my freezer. And fresh plain yogurt. And then it leads me to recipes of chicken breast mixed with yogurt. The debate goes on for about 15 minutes and google wins out again, I find myself in front of my laptop again. It's now 12:45 am. After saving the numerous chicken breast and yogurt recipes in my favourites folder, I actually start thinking of going to my kitchen and defrosting some chicken. Common sense won out, I am now lying down, again, and trying to lull myself to sleep.

It's not even 5 minutes and I'm up again. I go straight to my closet and pull out a pair of Levis blue jeans and proceed to wear them. What the hell am I doing at 1:13 am trying on a pair of jeans you may wonder.....yea, I was half wondering why I felt I needed to see if those jeans were feeling tight or loose on me right there and then. But those sane thoughts were drowned out by the other ones that were yelling that the jeans fit great, not too tight at all! I had tried 'em on a coupla days after coming back from vacation and they were too snug for my liking so having them fit with some give was a relief, meant I was shedding that holiday weight. I hope I am anyways.

Am overjoyed and have realized the futility of trying another lay down. I go into my living room instead and switch on the tv to one of the movie channels. "Emma" is playing. Euughh! A Gwynnie Paltrow movie. Never watched it but anything with Mrs. Chris Martin does not appeal. But beggars can't be choosy and with the hope of her non-dulcet tones tipping me to the edges of sleep, I settle down to watch. But now, I keep looking at her thin neck (her hair is up most of the movie, it draws focus) and it reminds me of a scrawny chicken. I'm sorry! I know it's a mean thought. Anyways, now I'm thinking about yogurt and chicken again AND my stomach's grumbling with hunger to boot. I try to ignore the cravings but finally, as a gesture of compromise, I polish off 2 pieces of oat biscuits to quiet my tummy and my traitorous mind. I have a 85% success rate when it comes to the no eats after 6 pm rule and now I've just broken it.

One Gwyneth Paltrow movie and a midnight snack later, it's 2:00 am and I finally feel mind-numbingly tired. I lie down and can't even remember going off to sleep......only to awaken at 4:30 am.....for no reason. It was then I decided to just give up on getting anymore ZZzzz's and just starting my day. I got up, put together a breakfast of a pop tart and a cup of coffee then went off to shower. Spent an hour and a half reading "Slumdog Millionaire" before my ride to work arrived and here I've been since. The clock is ticking to 5 pm, I can't wait to go home and eat my rice and beef take-away since I skipped lunch. And after watching "American Idol", I will shower and hopefully GO TO SLEEP!

a stroke of tech-inspired genius

i found an interim substitute for my laptop tote conundrum. My sis recently made a business trip to Singapore and I asked her to check out the retail price of the Lexie tote that I've been coveting at the LeSportsac store. The sales people just looked at her like, in her own words, she was mad, instead kept prodding her on towards the technophile section and after two boutiques and a department store she was fed up off being looked at as if she was off her rocker. I would have figured that Singapore was up on the trends since they are supposed to be at the helm of all things trendy in Southeastasia but I was wrong. And seriously, to not even know the products offered by the brand you work for is a retail sin I tell ya!

But putting aside the thoroughly miserable state of LeSportsac in Singapore, it made me realize that purchasing the Lexie tote might take some time. Time my Botkier does not have, I know if I keep up this much abuse on its poor straps it will say enough is enough and soon from the looks of it. *Sigh*. My netbook is less than 2 lbs but it's still a bit much for my Botkier to handle. And I know some people think that I shouldn't be so hung up over a satchel that came from Target but I just adore the design, the feel, the everything of this bag and to have it break on me would cause the lil place in my heart, reserved for all things material that have found a place for itself in there, to break as well.

So, as I'm trawling the Internet, searching high and low for the perfect Lexie tote (perfect = design I like + price comparable to retail + reasonable delivery cost), looking at the images of LeSportsac bags over and over at sites like Like.com and ebags.com, I spot the LeSportsac Dana tote (it's just a normal shopping tote I think) and can't help feel a sense of familiarity. I'm racking my brain trying to figure out why the Dana looks like one of my own and it's then I realize that I have a similarly shaped large tote that I bought last year but only used once. It's shaped exactly like the Dana. The exterior is a quilted pattern made out of a material similar to the famous Sarah Jessica Parker Bitten Parachute bag, or a sleeping bag, and faux leather. It's quite cushiony, a feature I liked. There are 2 rolled handles, long enough for the tote to comfortably rest on the shoulders. It's got a zipper closure which is my closure of choice, prevents/hinders people with sticky fingers from copping off with any of my belongings.


The interior is fabric, also a preference of mine. I am not a fan of satin lining, however luxurious a feel it gives a bag, as they tend to rip and stain more easily. Leather interiors are fantastic but this bag wasn't costly, about USD21, so I can understand the manufacturer holding off on leather insides. There are 3 compartments, 2 open and a middle zippered compartment. One open compartment has a mobile phone pocket and one slightly larger pocket. The other open compartment has a zippered pocket. This is typical of most ladies handbags. The middle is just one large zippered compartment.

I initially bought this tote for my '08 bicoastal summer trip but at the last minute ditched it in favour of a smaller crossbody bag that was more suited for my plane-hopping needs. I just didn't feel like going through the hassle of airport security with a large tote like that, guaranteeing I would be lugging around more crap than I normally would and potentially getting held up at the x-ray machines. It was also a navy blue colour which I had felt was not a colour I could comfortably match with all my travel clothes. So after one trip from the homeland to the workland, I packed it up in one of my luggages, completely forgetting about it till I saw the Dana.


Struck by inspiration, as I often am these days (perhaps a cause of my sleeplessness), I got it out of its storage place and looked it over. It was large enough, the exterior feels padded and I believe, with a lil bit of needlework, it can definitely become a laptop tote! I got to work on it. The bag is fine for a coupla mags and other girly items but if its also going to have to hold a netbook, I'm going to have to reinforce the straps with some extra stitching. Many hours later, after my fingers are raw and numb as well as in a bit of pain, I have myself a makeshift laptop tote! Besides the handle straps, I also sewed in my purple laptop sleeve into the middle compartment to give it more padding. Ta-da! Now that's an inspiration that really worked and something I am definitely proud of :) Granted, it's not like I made the bag from scratch but let's not take away from my ingeniousity (does this word exist? and since I had to ask that doesn't make me much of a genius does it?) and be a downer. The point is, I had an issue and managed to solve it without spending a single cent!

Don't get me wrong, if I find the Lexie, I'll still get it, but then I'll have TWO laptop bags that I can alternate! Depending on the mood of the day :D

today we celebrate.....International Women's Day!

How awesome is it that there is a day dedicated to celebrating women! It is a perk if you were born the fairer sex, ESPECIALLY if you live/work in a country that recognizes it as a national holiday!

This year, International Women's Day, falls on a Sunday so the day off is moved to Monday hence I get a 3-day weekend to begin my celebration of all things womanly. Ok, the holiday is a bonus, there is an importance to International Women's Day. Here's some information on this UN approved day, courtesy of internationalwomensday.com:

"International Women's Day (IWD) is marked on March 8 every year. It is a major day of global celebration for the economic, political and social achievements of women.

Started as a political event, the holiday blended in the culture of many countries (primarily Russia and the countries of former Soviet bloc). In some celebrations, the day lost its political flavour, and became simply an occasion for men to express their love to the women around them in a way somewhat similar to Mother's Day and St Valentine's Day mixed together. In others, however, the political and human rights theme as designated by the United Nations runs strong, and political and social awareness of the struggles of women worldwide are brought out and examined in a hopeful manner.

The IWD is also celebrated as the first spring holiday, as in the listed countries the first day of March is considered the first day of the spring season. Although March 8 is designated as the official date for International Women's Day, hundreds of events occur not just on this day but throughout March."

The site also explains that every year, a global theme is chosen.

"Organisations, governments and women's groups around the world choose different themes each year that reflect global and local gender issues.

Some years have seen global IWD themes honoured around the world, while in other years groups have preferred to 'localise' their own themes to make them more specific and relevant."

For the year 2009, the global theme is "Women and men united to end violence against women and girls". This is an ongoing common issue suffered by women all over the world and considering that there has been a high-profile case of domestic abuse that has taken the world news by storm, it does not discriminate.

On a lighter note, in some countries, this day is observed by men giving the women in their lives - mothers, wives, girlfriends, daughters, colleagues, etc., flowers and small gifts, as mentioned above. I love the fact that for this holiday I don't have to be in a relationship nor a mother to receive gifts from men. And the fact that this holiday does not have any religious connatations is a boon, one thing that makes me uncomfortable wth V-Day. Yesterday, as I was meeting up with my team for a day out, I received a sundae treat from my colleagues as an early International Women's Day gift. Thanks guys! They are sweet like that. What can I say, I like me a celebration like that :)

accessorizing - tech style

Since my HP 2133 is a new purchase and I'm still in the first flushes of love with it, I'm doing a lot of work and research to ensure my latest tech buy will have a long and fruitful life.


My HP 2133 Mini-Note was an impulse buy that was a long time in the making. I had plans of getting my own personal laptop, seperate from the one provided by the office but for reasons unknown to myself, kept putting it off. The opportunity to buy this netbook presented itself at the end of January and with an affordable price tag, I took the bait. I got the most basic model that came with FreeDOS with plans to do some upgrades. The specs of my HP 2133 are as follows but with an upgrade to 2 gig of ram and a genuine installation of Windows XP Pro SP3:

Operating System: Windows XP Professional Service Pack 3
Processor: VIA C7-M ULV Processor (1.2 GHz, 128 KB L2 cache)
Chipset: VIA CN896NB and 8237S SB
Memory: 2048MB DDR2 SDRAM
Internal Storage: 120GB 5400 rpm SATA
Display: 8.9-inch diagonal WXGA (1280 x 768)
Graphics: VIA Chrome 9
Audio: High Definition Audio, stereos speakers, integrated stereo microphones, stereo headphone/line out, stereo microphone in
Wireless support: Broadcom 802.11a/b/g, b/g, Bluetooth 2.0, HP Wireless Assistant Communications Broadcom Ethernet Integrated Controller (10/100/1000)
Expansion slots: (1) ExpressCard/54 slot, Secure Digital (SD) slot
Ports & connectors: (2) USB 2.0 ports, VGA, power connector, RJ-45/Ethernet, stereo headphone/line out, stereo microphone in, optional VGA webcam
Input device: 92% full-sized keyboard, touchpad with scroll zone
Dimensions (HxWxD): 1.05 (at front) x 10.04 x 6.5 inches
Weight: 2.63 lb (with 3-cell battery)
Power: 3-cell (28 WHr) Lithium-Ion battery, 65W HP Smart AC Adapter with HP Fast Charge

Besides the hardware and OS upgrade, and the search for a functional yet stylish laptop bag, other netbook related issues that have me concerned are the effects of my rough and tumble way of life (this just means I am super klutzy and am accident-prone). To maximize the aesthetic longevity of my netbook, I decided to get a skin decal to cover the top and keyboard panel. I have been researching the various companies that offer tailor-made HP 2133 skins for the past month, trying to decide which seller offered value for money and finally made a purchase an hour ago on ebay from a German outfit. I picked skins4u because the overall price was reasonable, I paid about USD20.19 for the skin and USD5 for shipping. Some other places charges less for the skin but the shipping costs were simply ridiculous. This one seller listed the shipping cost at USD14, non-insured. The decal is a slim, practically weightless sheet, why would the shipping cost as much as the item itself?

The ebay seller, skins4u, offered various designs to suit your personal style and I had a hard time choosing which decal best represented my personality. I like clean lines and something not too busy. I like geometric patterns and I'm also partial to fleur de lis designs. Although I quite liked the idea of putting a bright colour on, I have an insane need to match my stuff and they don't say black goes with everything for no reason. So I was decided that I would be going with a black background. There was a solid black decal but I figured I wanted to make it more personal and finally narrowed it down to 3 choices, as seen in the image below (l-r): radiosity, drama and b&w fleur. I took another day to weigh each designs pro & cons and made up my mind that I would get the drama.


Looking at the design, drama does a pretty good job of representing me. The predominantly black background teamed with the geometric circles appeal to the straight-laced part of me while the splotches of gray and white as well as the pop of bright pink shows I have this other quirky side. Ok, maybe I am more quirk than straight-laced if I can find parallels of myself in a laptop skin decal :P The point is, the skin decal will play an important role of protecting my netbook from scratches and other aesthetic deformities, eliminating, hopefully, any occasions in which I would feel disheartened should an unfortunate incident lead to a mar on my mini-note's surface. The plus side is the decal allows a modicum of self-expression.....as much as you can get from a mass produced decal that is :)

a hairy affair

In a recent post, I talked about my DIY fringe modification. Although I like the change, having the bangs in my eyes is quite a drag. After enduring 3 days of having my eyeballs being poked and irritated by my fringe, I decided to invest in some hair accessories.

My hair is one of my least fussed about features. I believe my tendency to self-style my own haircut proves that I don't have it as top priority when it comes to creating/taking care of my appearance. It's not that I don't care, it's just that I'm genetically blessed with a head of hair that's not difficult to manage. I don't even own a hairdryer, least of all a tourmaline, ionic, straightener thingamabob. I own a coupla scrunchies and elastic hair ties. My only hair splurge would be on claw clips, I do buy a lot of claw clips as they tend to break on me more times than I can count. At first I thought it's because I was being el-cheapo and buying crap quality claw clips but after my rather expensive Evita Peroni broke as well, I figure I might as well buy the cheap ones. Hairbands are also no friends of mine. I like those bands that have the teeth for that extra fringe grip but, those like to die an early death as well, I can't get them to last more than a month or so.

Anyways, a brand that I discovered last year and which has become my go-to for all accessories hair-related is Goody. I first found them through an issue of Cosmo. There was a plug for the Goody Styling Therapy reduce+dandruff paddle brush. I don't have a problem with dandruff (I keep it that way using Head & Shoulders) but I love the claim that a copper-infused brush can assist in reducing a common hair health problem. I bought it and it is now my numero uno hairbrush (I have 2 others, a wooden The Body Shop oval brush with metal bristles and a Denman plastic paddle brush).

So when I thought of acquiring some hair accessories, I didn't have to think about it, I was going Goody all the way. I had recently read about the Goody Ouchless range coming out with pain-free headbands and I figured I would get one of those. I use the Goody Ouchless Elastic Ties and they have been great in lessening hair breakage and pain due to all the pulling when tying or taking out hair. There's only one shop I know of in this city that sells Goody products and since I was meeting up with my colleagues for a mall crawl, I figured might as well sway them to go to the complex where this store is at.

Simply put, I bought myself a few Goody-ies (hehehe). Got the Goody So Mini Oval Brush to stuff in my purse and for travel cos I don't want to lug around my big paddle brushes, risking spoiling the bristles. The brush is compact yet the brush head is substantial and it has a non-slip rubber grip. It does a great job at detangling my hair after its been put up in an updo all day. It cost USD2.50 which is a bargain. I also got myself a new claw clip, Goody Classic Large Claw Clip in black. It was a bit more than I wanted to spend on a claw clip, about USD2 (ok, I know that the price is not actually a bank breaker but I usually get my cheapo clips for about 50 cents).


I thought I'd give Goody claw clips a go since I've had a good run with their other products. The spring feels a bit more flexible than I'm used too and it does have a tendency to lose grip from staying put and end up hanging down but it still keeps my hair together, we'll see how it goes in the next couple of days. Lastly, I got the Goody StayPut FitClip NoSlide headwrap. Yea, instead of the Ouchless headbands, I thought I'd go for this range instead. Geared towards more athletic conditions, the stayput headwrap is basically an elastic band with a dotted surface that provides the necessary traction to keep its hold on your head. Its grip is firm and painless, doing the job of keeping your bangs out of your eyes and off of your forehead magnificently. This particular model has an adjustable clip so one can comfortably fit the band around one's head. At a price of USD3.10, I simply love it, it's keeping my forehead and eyes fringe-free and there's no chance of me breaking this unless I decide to use it as a slingshot.

you'll probably say it would but.....

does buying a laptop bag mean that I'd be breaking my no bag-buying rule? My HP 2133 didn't come with a bag and I've been stuffing it in my handbag sans the proper protection. I've got a pretty useless but cute purple laptop sleeve (i use the term sleeve loosely) which does nothing to protect the netbook from shocks and damage but will hopefully prevent scratches. I need to get my lil netbook something that will guard her lil body from the big bad bangs and knocks I am wont to endure. Plus, although it's light, what with it being a netbook and all, the overall combo of the stuff I carry in my bag is taking its toll on my beloved Botkier bag and I do not want to suffer a broken strap only 4 months into Botkier's term as my go-to handbag.

Which brings me to my laptop bag research. I've been looking around at all sorts of brands and have narrowed it down to LeSportsac and Puma. I would have gone the traditional Golla route but the ones on offer do not appeal to my sense of style. My number one choice is the LeSportsac Lexie Laptop Tote. I like that it is nylon, I can't seem to fathom lugging around a leather laptop bag, the weight of the bag and the netbook would do my poor shoulders in. I like that the laptop compartment is kept in the middle and that there are roomy compartments on each side of the laptop sleeve to put things in. It acts as a purse as well as a laptop bag. That's functionality I greatly admire and so I am in complete lust with the LeSportsac Lexie. My only qualm is if I am actually willing to put down USD138 for a laptop tote. I've always thought LeSportsac are overpriced but the Lexie Laptop Tote appeals to me in all sorts of ways. I would love to own the solid black or the gray but if cheap is what I'm after, there are some sites that offer some of the fall patterns at about 90 dollars. The problem is, there is no shipping outsde of the US of A. Sometimes, it sucks not living in the States. Anyways the official product description is as below:


"The Lesportsac Lexie Laptop Tote is a nylon tote with spring clasp at sides and contrast banding throughout. Double rolled handles and two-way zipper closure at divided main compartment. Lined interior features zipper pocket, 3 patch pockets, and padded center compartment for laptop protection."

A slightly cheaper alternative is the Puma Pure Evo Work Bag. It is an 80 dollar laptop bag and it looks quite cute. I can't really tell what the interior is like, I think there is the padded laptop compartment and one compartment for your other essentials. Based on the images I've looked at, I 'm guessing the structure is more solid than that of the Lexie Tote and in black, would not look awkward in an office setting nor too stiff in a more playful environment. My thoughts on the Lexie is that it's a more slouchy/casual style but in the right colours (i.e: gray or black), it'll look great for work too. Aesthetic-wise, am not too keen on the puma logo printed all over the bag. Although not too obvious, I would have preferred a plain design with the logo plate. I don't need everyone to know where I got my bag from. Come to think of it, I abhor logo printed bags especially the Coach logo bags, I feel they look so tacky. The only logo bags that I would even consider are from LV, they somehow make it work. Back on topic, the Puma Pure Evo Work Bag is described as:


"A logo-print nylon handbag with logo plate at front and faux leather banding at front, back, and sides. Double handles and zipper closure at main compartment. Lined interior features zipper pocket and 13" x 9" padded laptop pocket."

Anyway, it's obvious which I prefer, I'm just going through the motions of the "compare and contrast" process. I can't seem to stop thinking about the Lexie. The problem is I dunno if I can find it in stores. I was hoping to get it on my trip to Bangkok at the end of the month as the Suvarnabumi Airport has a duty-free LeSportsac store on the grounds but I can't guarantee that the Lexie will be in the inventory. I spent a good 3 or so hours googling the internet for the cheapest places to get it but most either don't ship outside the States, don't have the color/pattern I like OR charge an exorbitant shipping fee.

Since this would be considered a neccessity, as its purpose is to protect my teeny tiny netbook from being smashed to teeny tiny pieces, a laptop bag purchase is completely justifiable. Anyways, since we are on the topic of bags, I might as well confess. I was looking up Bicester Village, an outlet shopping extravaganza I'll be making a stop at on my European trip this November, and I already know that I'm going to be breaking the no bag but LV rule. I googled the place up and read some people's reviews, you can actually get a Burberry wallet for GBP28! I soooo want to have a Burberry quilted purse so I know I'll most likely cave and get one if its within my budget. And there's an Anya Hindmarch outlet, I have always loved the mirror tote, I know I won't be able to afford it but if there is anything remotely AH that I can afford I would like to get it. I've also always been a big fan of Miu Miu but know i can't swing a Miu Miu bag purchase either. And let's not talk about how Bottega Veneta is completely out of my league at this point in my life. When my sis helped me get the Mulberry, she bought herself a Bottega travel wallet and the price of her small item was equivalent to my East West Raspberry. One thing I probably could get is a pair of driving moccasins from Tods. I've always wanted to own a pair and this might be my chance to get it at a discount.

Well, that went off topic again, though in a broader sense, this post is about bags. The point is, I need a laptop bag. I can't not get one just because principles state as such. How do you compromise safeguarding USD500 worth of computer equipment with a USD7 sleeve.? But it's still undecided, we'll see how I feel about it in a few days.

watching.....In Bruges

Am doing an awards season movie marathon roundup. Well, movies that interest me anyway. One of the movies I just watched, won Colin Farrel a Golden Globe. "In Bruges". Starring Colin (as if I know him on a first name basis :P), Brendan Gleeson and Ralph Fiennes, it is a comedy about being hitmen in the killers-for-hire business.



When I first heard of the movie, I thought the title was just weird. I had no idea Bruges was a town in Belgium. The thought just occurred to me, is Bruges even a real place or completely fictional? Will google it later. Instead I thought "In Bruges" was a gaelic word/phrase :P The question of what is Bruges was answered in the first 15 minutes of the movie so I wasn't bothered with the mystery of the title for too long.

The plotline:

Colin Farrel is Raymond, a newcomer to the business, who on his first job shoots down a priest in a confessional box but in the process, accidentally kills a little boy caught by the spray of bullets from his gun. Ken, his mentor, played by Brendan Gleeson, whisks him away into hiding in a fairytale-esque medieval town called Bruges in Belgium on the orders of Ralph Fiennes's character, Harry, who, I think, is the head of the whole operations. Led to believe they are in Bruges for 2 weeks, or till it rains, to wait out the accidental murder of the little boy, Ken leads around a surly and whiny Raymond around the town, visiting famous landmarks and soaking up the Bruges culture. Raymond, however, has other things on his mind. Wracked with guilt by the accidental killing, he begins to have suicidal thoughts. Meanwhile, Harry issues a directive to Ken. He must off Raymond for shooting the little boy. In their business, children are off limits and what Ray did was unforgivable, accident or otherwise. When Ken fails to kill Ray and even stops Ray from killing himself, instead putting Ray on a train out of Bruges, Harry makes his way to Bruges to deal with the errant Ken. What happens from this point, I won't tell, it's best to watch the movie and see how it turns out. All I can say is that it surprises me the high level of integrity found in the hitman business.

Ok, from reading my summary of the movie, it seems more dark and disturbing than funny haha. It IS dark and disturbing BUT done in a completely comedic way. I laughed out loud at soooo many points in the movie. The acting was spot on by all three. Raymond and Ken were completely endearing and lovable and Harry with his code of conduct showed that even in the business of killing, there's always some form of ethical lines you just don't cross. All said and watched, it was a lovely, entertaining movie starring an on form Colin Farrel who deserves the Golden Globe he won for the role.

i heart DIY

Ever since I started working abroad, I've been getting interested in a lot of DIY projects. Especially when its fashion related. I've bought a few pieces of clothes, mostly tops, dresses and blazers, some new and some pre-owned, and changed them up to suit the idea of how I want them to look in my head. Some turn out great, beyond what I envisioned. Others, namely gray levis jeans project, can turn out to be completely dreadful. I am no super streamsess but as long as my stitches don't fray/splay and the material holds up, I consider the alterations a success.

My DIY bug isn't just limited to altering clothes alone. I like to experiment with homemade beauty tips such as the baking soda face scrub, an egg white firming concoction and a moisturizing honey oats mask. Basically, I'm not afraid to use myself as a guinea pig. I've tried putting toothpaste on zits (don't think it works in my case), whitening the whites of my eyes with a lemon juice and water mixture (don't think this was a winner either) and using olive oil as a hair mask (i think it's supposed to make hair shiny).

Another thing I like to DIY is give myself a haircut. For the past 2 years and counting, my hair has not been touched by a hairdresser. I have not walked into a hair salon in that long. Instead, I routinely give my hair a cut once a year, usually in June. However, yesterday, as I was watching 90210 (yea, I watch the show.....but mainly for the clothes, honest to God, it's the truth!), and the Adriana character had these cute bangs which I fell in love with. I usually keep my fringe as long as the rest of my hair but of late have been interested in cutting them eye level. And in a fit of inspiration (of which there have been many of late and not all of 'em successful), during a commercial break, I got my scissors and hacked off my fringe to just below my eyes.

The verdict: Well, I have to say I did a bang-up job! C'mon, you had to see that one coming. I did my level (hehehe) best. It's pretty much straight but sometimes I get the impression it looks as if I have a mullet :P Yet still in a cute way, if I do say so myself.....and I do :D (I always subscribe to the notion that in life one needs compliments and if no one else is there to give you one, well then, take it upon yourself to talk yourself up! And that's how I know I'm a narcissist :D)

Anyway, I guess my DIY tendencies stem from my curiosity. And the internet and google feed into this habit. Half of the stuff I've done is because I used google to find the answers to questions I have on things like whitening the whites of your eyes and how to ensure firm breasts :D What do you like to DIY?

if you had to choose, would you pick.....

death by shark attack or death by croc attack? I can hear those who say neither but just play along. So the topic's morbid, violent death and all, but I think it's a valid question to ask oneself. A lil backstory as to how this post came about. This mornig at work, my colleagues and I were minding our own business when one of us spotted a cockroach. I'm not afraid of them but it's not like I want to be best buddies and keep one as a pet. One of my male colleagues is quite disgusted by these roaches and can't stand to be around them (he's straight and already married :D) and was insisting someone get rid of it, namely not him. As someone went about whacking the roach with a broom (moi), we started talking about animals/insects that creep us out. And that's when I started going off on crocodiles and my hatred of them. My colleagues actually sat around listening to me rant and rave about them for a good half hour :p All the while being productive, of course. I mean the mouth can move but so should those hands. Gabbing is not an excuse to stop doing work (see boss, if you ever accidentally stumble on this blog, we are a responsible and hardworking team).

Anyways, back to the topic at hand. My personal choice.....I definitely would pick shark attack. I'm under the impression that it's quicker and survival rates seem higher in shark attacks. Whereelse crocodiles just freak me out. They are the one animal I completely loathe in the animal kingdom. I mean, how sadistic can the animal get? It doesn't offer you a quick bite of death but instead clamps on you as tight as it needs to so you can't get away and then drags you down to the depths of the river to drown you, all the while thrashing you around like a chew toy. So not only are you being crushed by the bacteria-filled steel jaws of death but at the same time have to suffer the inconvenience of a spinning head (due to all the thrashing) and drowning as well. And even if you do manage to get away limbs intact, the bacteria from the bite will possibly cause you to lose it anyway as it'll turn your wound gangrenous.

From numerous viewings of this one show on the Discovery Channel, I think it's called "I Shouldn't Be Alive", and having watched reenactments of both croc and shark attacks, I would say sharks just grab on and try to tear you to pieces. Hopefully, by that time, if it's looking more likely that death is imminent, you'd probably have lost consciousness at this point. However, if there's a chance of escape and you are near enough to the shoreline, the shark can't follow you up to land. So yea, shark attacks rule over croco attacks. I mean that reptile can live comfortably in the water AND on land. How much more greedy can it get?

I mean, seriously, make up your mind.....do you wanna be a land animal or an aquatic one? Sharks don't have that identity crisis. It firmly knows it belongs in the water. Another thing with the greedy crocs is that they also wanna hog all types of watery domains. There are freshwater crocs and saltwater crocs. They couldn't just leave the salty waters to the sharks, they needed to put their scaly selves there as well. The only way you'll find a shark in freshwater is if it's lost. And how unfair is it that, not only do crocodiles swim like a fish (hehehe) but they are also nimble on land. AND even if you were confronted by an obese croc, thinking that you have some kind of advantage, well think again. Crocs have a swishy tail that'll still manage to knock you off your feet waaay before you managed to run away from it.

So, there you have it. This isn't some irrational fear I have of this reptilian creature, I believe I've posed valid arguments that prove the complete horribleness of crocodiles. The only way I'll get close to one is if its in a 10 foot high enclosure or its already made into a nice handbag.

Phew! Ok, vent over. Needed to get that off my chest or else I'd probably be bugged by it for days. But one thing I'll admit, crocodiles are one of God's more magnificent creations. Science-wise, it's an intriguing and complex creature, the croc. It can slow down its heart rate and has some kind of trap door in its mouth to prevent itself from drowning (which is apparently the part you want to try and jab if you ever find yourself in the jaws of old scaly log), the ugly scales act like all-over recpetors sensing unusual water movements of potential prey, the eyes go all glow-in-the-dark (something semi-cool about them that I don't hate) and so on, so forth. Croc, I don't like you one bit but you do have my respect. We'll just agree to keep our distances from one another eh?

dine in hell anyone?

I am completely and utterly ADDICTED! I thought this post would be about my obsession with "How I Met Your Mother" but instead I've decided to show my love for "Hell's Kitchen" Season 5.



I have never watched the show before but had seen snippets of the show on Oprah and various other talk shows and had always wondered what on earth these people are thinking, to willingly put up with the abuse Gordon Ramsay spews at them. However, not intrigued enough to catch an episode of the show. It subsequently slipped from my stream of consciousness and got lost in the shuffle of tv series land.

*Cue dramatic music* Only to resurface now. Out of sheer boredom during this second hiatus, I have been evaluating potential series to follow, what with the death of "Lipstick Jungle" and an up-in-the-air fate for "Dirty Sexy Money". Through my research, I found 2 investigative-type tv shows that have piqued my interest greatly and the one reality show that has me compelled to write about it.

Who knew that working in a kitchen could be sooooo eventful, sexy and dramatic? Now, I have always been a great fan of Jamie Oliver and have on occasion followed his shows on the foodie channel. One of my sisters even refers to him as my tv hubby. Which is besides the point. Anyway, I was talking about being bored with nothing to watch and my sis said to try an epi of "Hell's Kitchen". She had the first one of season 5 tivo'd and cos there was nothing else to do, I thought why not. Now, I dunno if it's just that I'm wired funny but is it not sexy when Gordon Ramsay gets all angry and aggressive in the kitchen? Throwing plates of food on the floor or pieces of filet mignon at you, kicking garbage cans and getting so in-yer-face with contestants that I, watching on my tv at home, feel as if I have just had my personal space violated. That's a remarkable turnaround from my previous impression of Gordon Ramsay; pompous, arrogant jackass. Oh, he's still all those 'cept with a dash of high-strung sexy in there :D

Watching the show, a thought did cross my mind. If this batch of apprentices were the best in the country, the cream of the crop, why are some of them so incompetent. Makes you worry about the person handling your food in the kitchen. Also, what is the selection process like? Shouldn't the show organizers ensure that the people applying for spots on the show really know what they're doing and not base it simply on written qualifications. Like I said, this is my first season following the show so I don't really know how it all works but it sure looks like that's how they narrow down the contestants. I have no idea if any skill appraisal is done. For example, Colleen, the cooking instructor who has her own culinary school. She charges between 300 to 400 dollars an hour per person for lessons, yet, she seems to not be very good at it, if at all. I feel sorry for all the shouting she's had to endure. But at the same time, when Chef Gordon called her a thief, I could understand where he was coming from. Robbing people blind. How can you have a culinary institute if you yourself are not a trained chef?

And that Seth....the private catering business guy. If there ever was a stereotype of a bumbling idiot (sorry!) he would definitely be it. C'mon, most of the time he looks like he's lost. And his delusions of kinship with Gordon Ramsay is simply disturbing. I don't mind so much that he seems to have googled the master chef's entire background but to spout on national television that you and him have/will have a special kind of bond AFTER he has quite thoroughly chewed your head off is a sign you have gone off your rocker. And he also seems to can't cook for peanuts. What a waste of space. Who the hell are the poor schmucks who retained this guy's catering services? Competition to Gordon Ramsay's restaurant in NYC my arse!

A person I was rooting for was Ji. She was great and if not for that slip in the kitchen and her subsequent injury, I am pretty sure she would have been one of the faves to make it all the way to the coveted head chef position at the Borgata Hotel. She knew what she was doing, her cooking skills always agreed with Chef Ramsay's tastebuds, was a complete team player and had tons of perseverence. Unlike Lacey, the corporate buffet cook, who simply wants to up and leave most of the time. I was starting to feel sorry fo her cos everyone was giving her a hard time despite the fact she seemed to be turning her attitude around but after watching the previews of episode 5 where she is now on the blue team, there she goes again with her irritating talk of quitting and going home. Why did you apply if you can't mentally hack it? If you have seen the show before, wouldn't you know that Gordon Ramsay is a monster to work for?

Anyways, it's all great. I haven't watched such nail biting reality tv in ages. Literally nail biting, ok, more like knuckle worrying but I think the point gets across. It is simply reality tv at its best!